Forest Owls
by Honor
Summary: Remember that contract "SeeD until Timber is liberated."? Well guess what happens when Cid remembers and decides to honor it. This story contains some unusual pairings. No flames just cause you dont like them, ok? This is my first Fanfic
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVIII ok? Wish I did though.  
  
The Forest Owls Prologue  
  
Squall blinked. He had just woken up in his dorm room, only to find that he hadn't taken his clothes off before going to sleep. That in itself would not have been unusual six months or so ago, back before they defeated Ultimecia, but it was now. What was unusual was that Rinoa, his fiancée, was in bed with him (not in her own room) and she was fully dressed too.  
  
Squall nudged Rinoa gently. She murmured in her sleep and snuggled closer but refused to wake up. Sighing, Squall decided to resort to a technique he'd half heard (well, he hadn't really been paying attention) Irvine bragging about but so far Squall had ignored his somewhat dubious advice - he kissed her. She did wake up, but only after wrapping herself round him like a vine, by which time Squall wasn't entirely sure getting out of bed was a good idea.  
  
"Ahem," coughed someone.  
  
Squall broke the kiss and glanced down the length of the bed towards the doorway. Irvine and Quistis were peeking around the door - well, Quisty was peeking; Irvine was just leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on his face and amusement in his eyes. Squall knew he'd never live this down, and that he'd probably spend the rest of the day trying to stop Irvine sharing 'conquest' stories with him.  
  
"What are you guys doing in my room?" frowned Squall, a deep slash of red highlighting his cheekbones.  
  
"I.er.was looking for Rinoa," said Quistis "Headmaster Cid wants to see her in his office." Cid's office had been moved to the basement level now that the bridge was blocking his old one. They'd taken the Garden to FH to get windows and things put in to make it more comfortable.  
  
"What about you?" said Squall as he turned his attention upon the still smirking Irvine. Squall felt Rinoa's breath upon the back of his neck and her arms slipping around his waist.  
  
"Hey, I'm here for the same reason, more or less, only I was looking for the Commander, not his fiancée. I figure there's a new mission going down." said Irvine. He flicked the brim of his hat and winked at Squall. "This could be our last chance to enjoy ourselves for a while." He grinned at Rinoa. Quistis grabbed Irvine's arm and dragged him out the door. Squall could hear her lecturing him in the corridor even after she'd shut the door. He glanced at Rinoa, to find her laughing at Irvine's last remark and Quisty's subsequent behaviour. She looked up of him and Squall stopped breathing. As his brain switched off, his last thought was that maybe he ought to take Irvine's advice more often.  
  
Author's Note: Don't worry, the plot appears in the next chapter. It's just that I'm writing this as an insomnia cure in a note book and I thought it would be easier to type the next bit up as a separate chapter. Please review. 


	2. Briefing

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII. No matter how much I would like to I don't. I do own the SeeD candidates, as they are my own inventions. (One of them is based on me in some ways. I will mention anyone who guesses correctly which one in the next chapter.)  
  
  
  
Briefing  
  
  
  
Squall left the elevator on the basement level. He looked around the antechamber in which he stood. It sure had changed since the first time he had come down here, which had also been the last time. Rinoa was sitting in an easy chair in one of the corners talking to Matron. Angel sat at her feet and Rinoa stroked his head from time to time.  
  
  
  
  
  
Zell was leaning against the wall beside the lift doors. Not only had he actually managed to get hotdogs for once, but he'd also sneaked them out of the cafeteria and was standing there munching on one while he waited. Squall did not consider this sensible behaviour since the Disciplinary Committee had been formed to stop such occurrences and the head of the Committee was sitting not a hundred yards from Zell.  
  
  
  
  
  
Seifer was scowling and tapping his gunblade on the floor. He had been allowed back into Garden after Edea had spoken for him to clear his name but Squall privately thought it was just because the transfers and new students had more than their share of troublemakers among them. And whatever Seifer's faults, with him heading up the Disciplinary Committee no one stepped out of line.  
  
  
  
Irvine and Quistis were cuddling up on a sofa opposite Seifer. Everyone had seemed surprised when they had got together. Squall couldn't understand why. He'd thought it was inevitable, after all he and Quistis were similar in many ways and Irvine did the same as Rinoa when it came to pulling people out of their shells. Since they had started dating, Quistis was far less stressed out and, unlike when he was dating Selphie; Irvine's eyes no longer wandered to any attractive female in sight.  
  
Another odd couple was Seifer and Selphie. She was standing looking out of one off the newly fitted windows as they hovered above the old orphanage but Squall was willing to bet that before long, say the next 15 minutes or so, she'd be over there ruffling Seifer's hair or calling him by some infantile nickname. And, although that would be a death sentence for anyone else, Selphie actually got away with it, which said a lot about Seifer's feelings for her.  
  
"Ah, good. Everyone's here, we can start." The sound of Headmaster Cid's voice jolted Squall out of his thoughts and he belatedly realised that four students were standing in and around the room.  
  
"Be seated." Cid cleared his throat and looked at the assembled SeeDs, before turning his attention back to Squall.  
  
"Squall, it has come to my attention that we have a contract, taken up by this Garden, that has neither been fulfilled nor terminated. Money was taken for this contract several months ago, and should word of this get out our reputation will be in tatters. Moreover, we are honour bound to fulfil the contract to the full extent of the wording. As Commander I am holding you responsible for seeing that this contract gets the proper attention."  
  
Squall frowned at he translated this into English and stood up. "Who was assigned this contract?" Squall privately thought of the lecture the culprits would get when he.  
  
"Yourself, Zell, and Selphie."  
  
"WHAT?!" It took Squall a moment to realise that everyone was staring at him and that the exclamation had come from him. He coughed and said, " You mean the Forest Owls contract? You want Timber liberated?"  
  
"Actually, you were assigned to the Forest Owls for that purpose for an unknown duration until Timber's liberation. It was made clear that no replacement of SeeD members would be possible should you be killed or captured. However, since your reassignment and eventual capture were my fault I have decided to send Irvine, Quistis and Seifer on this mission as well. Furthermore, I am using this as an exam opportunity. These candidates will also accompany you. Should this take longer than I anticipate I ask you to use you own judgement on whether they continue to accompany you or they return to Garden. You'll have to find a way to get in without being recognised. Between the TV Station incident and the parade, your faces are rather well known by the ordinary soldiers. My sources tell me that Galbadia is more 'tense' than usual. I believe that there may be another coup in the making. Until you know where the new leader's sympathies lie, I suggest you stay out of sight. It's up to you from now on, Squall. Best of luck everyone." With a smile Cid took Edea's hand and entered the lift, leaving every person in the room staring after them.  
  
Squall shook himself and turned back to the room. He studied the four candidates closely. At first glance, he had assumed that there were three boys and a single girl. This closer inspection, however revealed that one of the 'boys' was actually a girl with short, spiky blue-streaked hair wearing a boy's uniform. All four of them had lined up automatically when Matron had risen to leave.  
  
"Alright," sighed Squall. "Name, weapon, GF's if you have them." He studied the first person in line.  
  
The boy was about seventeen. He had blue/green eyes and silver hair worn long and loose in a style that reminded Squall of his father, Laguna. Some of it was draped over his shoulder and the rest presumably trailed down his back. He wore He had twin pistol holsters strapped to his thighs and something about his stance reminded Squall of Irvine, which worried him slightly, as one cocky gunslinger was more than enough trouble, without adding another one into the mix. The boy saluted.  
  
"Yamato Yamada. Gun user. My GF's are Ramuh and Kjata. Ramuh's a thunder GF and Kjata is a combination of Fire, Ice and Thunder. Call me Matt."  
  
Squall turned his attention to the next person in line the girl wearing trousers. Something else about her was bothering him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Before he could speak however, Seifer butted in.  
  
"Hey, you, blue hair is against Garden regulations. So is wearing the incorrect uniform."  
  
The girl looked annoyed as she snapped "I didn't know the test would be so soon. So I dyed my hair for tonight, the Garden Festival. And the headmaster gave me a special dispensation for the uniform, because there was no way I was going to use my chosen weapon wearing a skirt." She tossed her head and gave an annoyed snort. As she did so a braid of hair that must have reached her waist flew over her shoulder. Her silver eyes sparkled with anger.  
  
Squall had started to speak when Quistis burst in coldly, "And just what is your chosen weapon?" Squall was getting mildly pissed of with all these interruptions.  
  
"The gauntlet, see?" She held up her hands, which were in gloves identical to the ones Zell had worn during their SeeD exam. "My name is Raine Yamada." "Yamada? Are you two related?" said Rinoa jolting Squall out of his wandering thoughts. He now knew what it was that had been bothering him. Between her spiky haircut, her uniform, weapon and stance, she bore an amazing resemblance to Zell.  
  
"Yeah, he's my big brother. My GF's are Madeen and Fenrir. Madeen's a holy GF like Alexander and Fenrir's earth like The Brothers but I can change his attack by wearing a certain accessory." Raine looked at Zell. Hey you've got hotdogs. Can I have one? I mean you've already eaten three and I'm starving. Please?" She fell to her knees and clasped her hands together over her head in a manner that made her look even more like Zell. He looked a little wild-eyed but handed one over.  
  
"What are you, my twin sister?" He muttered.  
  
"No, actually she's mine." An amused female voice said. Squall turned to the end of the line where a dark haired beauty was stepping forward. She carried a thin staff and her hair, which came down to mid-thigh, was pulled together at the base of her spine with a blue ribbon. Her hair had a curious shimmer to it - as if flames were moving across her hair. Her violet eyes twinkled with the amusement Squall had heard in her voice.  
  
"My name is Flamara Yamada. I use a staff or rod like this one but I'm far stronger with magical attacks than physical ones. My GF's are NeoBahamut and Phoenix."  
  
"WOW! You can actually summon Phoenix? I thought no one had ever seen it. We have to rely on Phoenix pinions." exclaimed Selphie.  
  
"I know." said Flamara in what Squall thought was a rather too smug manner. "I have a naturally affinity with fire."  
  
A sardonic snort came from behind her and Squall looked around her. The last of the four was pushing himself away from the wall he was leaning on in a manner that reminded Squall of himself.  
  
The boy had curious eyes - they were the same green/yellow as a cat's. He had short black hair that fell forward in a natural fringe, and his face was set. He carried a long thin blade. He had a look in his eyes that marked him down as what Squall had once been - a lone wolf, even within his own family. Squall had no doubt that he was related to the other three, and the boy's next words confirmed it.  
  
"Student no.986391 Takahiro Yamada. GF's Odin and Atomos both non- elemental. Weapon masamune. If we've quite finished gossiping could we continue with the briefing? It would be nice to hear more about this mission."  
  
Squall cleared his throat and attention shifted back to him. "We need to brainstorm a way to get into Timber, and Galbadia if need be, without attracting attention. For obvious reasons the Garden and the Ragnarock are out. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated, so let's think people."  
  
Quistis looked at Squall curiously - she could tell he was being excessively buoyant.  
  
The white haired boy, Matt?, had taken a map from one of his pockets and had spread it out on the floor. He was tracing patterns on it with one finger and muttering under his breath.  
  
Suddenly he looked up. "Commander, I can see three ways of *getting* to Timber, but one of them's useless for our purposes. The other two have potential, though."  
  
"Three?" frowned Quistis.  
  
"Yes, first, the useless one. We simply get on the train at Balamb. This is useless since any party this large would almost have to come from Garden, whether we change our appearances or not people are going to know we're SeeD."  
  
Squall nodded. "You're right, it is pretty useless." Matt flashed him a grin before leaning over the map to point out the other options.  
  
"Right. The other two options don't have much between them. Option 1: we go to Dollet by vessel. We change our appearances then either walk, drive or take the train to Timber. Option 2: We go to Esthar on the Ragnarock, change our appearances, and travel to Timber by way of the railroad bridge. The advantage of this is that no one will see our vessel and that Esthar aren't likely to tell Galbadia, whereas someone in Dollet might. It also has the advantage that we can claim we're Estharians and they can't check up on us."  
  
Squall glanced at the rest of the team. Seifer was nodding abstractedly while thinking, Quistis looked mad that a student had thought of something she hadn't anticipated and the others were talking about what Matt had said.  
  
Angel whined and Squall looked round to see the dog standing by the elevator. It was obvious he needed to go out. "Alright. We'll take a short break. We'll meet upstairs at (checks watch) 11:15. Try to come up with something useful."  
  
As everyone got out of the lift at 1F Squall had to jump out of the way to avoid the rush as over a dozen people tried to get in and out of a lift that had doors wide enough for three abreast at most. Squall and Angel walked down the stairs. Zell and Raine were standing at the bottom, behind the directory. Everyone else had disappeared.  
  
"I don't suppose you'd want to spar a little, would you?" said Raine, feinting at Zell. "By the way, thanks for that hotdog."  
  
"Hey, no prob," said Zell waving his hand in the air. "My pleasure. Sure, why don't we go down to the training centre. See ya later, Squall."  
  
Authors Note: Oh Yeah. Thanks to Caleb Nova, CTHKSI, JessyNick and RPG-Adam for reviewing me. Caleb Nova I have an idea what might have happened and I'm going to try and avoid the problem. Thanks again for reviewing me. I now have a new nickname - 'Tigger' because you made me so happy I just couldn't stop bouncing ^^.  
  
I have an idea for the next chapter, but I'm finding it hard to write. I keep getting distracted by this idea for a Digimon fic but I'm not sure I want to start writing in case I get muddled. I'll try to update soon. Please R&R. ( 


	3. Tea Break

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVIII. *cries unhappily* I also don't own the lyrics of 'My love' I don't know who does but it is a Westlife song. I only put it in because the chorus reminds me of that bit in Time Compression.  
  
A/N: Nobody guessed which character was based on me*sobs gently* here it is. Last year I had short spiky hair with blue highlights until my college made me change It.*pouts* meanies. I wasn't going to tell people this but CTHKSI() guessed in his review: "Hm.......Yamadas, Yamadas, Yamadas. Zell's last name is Yamada? *brain is frozen cause of the freezing weather _" NO Zell's last name is DINCHT, but Yes the Yamadas ARE related to Zell. (Think of Rini in Sailor Moon ^^) they have a fake surname. Sorry this chapter isn't longer but at the end of it (which was SUPPOSED to be half way through) I got distracted by this idea for the first chapter of a Squall/Seifer fic and couldn't think until I'd gotten it out of my head and on paper. I'm sorry if the characters are OOC but this is how it flowed into my head. I'm not sure I like this chapter much. (  
  
Tea Break  
  
Irvine, Quistis and Flamara were standing in the queue for the cafeteria. Flamara turned to the other two.  
  
"Um, do you guys mind if I sit with you?"  
  
Quistis laughed gently. "Not at all. With you here I might actually get to eat my lunch." She shot a teasing glance up at Irvine, who blushed.  
  
Flamara's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Who would a thought that IRVINE KINNEAS could blush!"  
  
Quistis laughed again and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Apart from me, you're the only person who's seen this amazing phenomenon. But don't tell, he's got a fragile ego."  
  
"Quisty!" protested Irvine, which only made the two women laugh even more. Flamara suddenly realised she was at the head of the queue. The three of them quickly ordered lunch and moved to an empty table. As they were sitting down they heard one of the Trepies arguing with his friends on the other side of the cafeteria.  
  
"Instructor Trepe is much hotter than some pop star. She's the most beautiful babe on the Planet."  
  
Quistis blushed slightly. She'd still not gotten used to the way the Trepies saw her. Privately Irvine agreed with the guy.  
  
"No way, Rainfox from 'Final Fantasy' is. She's good looking and she's got that voice. Man, what I wouldn't give for a date with her. She rocks." Flamara grinned. (A/N Final Fantasy is a new pop group from Esthar. I was never very original with names.)  
  
"If we're talking about 'Final Fantasy' then Firedream is the hottest. She's such a looker and the way she plays the piano ." The speaker trailed off.  
  
"You think piano playing is sexy?!"  
  
"Watch her face next time she's playing. Man, just thinking about it ." The speaker dropped his voice so they couldn't hear any more of the conversation. Irvine looked across at Flamara to find her blushing profusely.  
  
He studied her closely for a second then said casually, "Will you be performing in the Garden Festival tonight, Flamara?"  
  
"Yeah, Matt, Hiro, Raine and I are a band."  
  
"Hiro? Does he prefer his name shortened?" said Quistis with interest.  
  
"Yeah, but he'd never admit it."  
  
"So you play the piano?" said Irvine casually, as if he wasn't really interested.  
  
"Yeah, but what's that got to do . Oh. . You guessed." Flamara looked sheepish. Quistis looked bewildered.  
  
"What did he guess?" Irvine leant over and whispered in her ear. She gasped and then leaned over to Flamara. "At least now I've got someone to talk to who knows what its like to be idolized."  
  
Flamara grinned then suddenly turned pensive. Staring off into space, she murmured "I think I have it."  
  
"Have what?" said Irvine tucking into his lunch. He'd warned Flamara that the meeting would probably drag on into the afternoon, which was why they were eating lunch at 10:30 in the morning.  
  
"The answer to how we're going to go anywhere we want in Galbadia." She started eating. Irvine and Quistis waited for her to elaborate then, when she did not, shrugged and started eating.  
  
Squall was walking Angel on the Cape of Good Hope by Edea's House when he heard faint singing. He decided to follow the sound. Giving a low whistle to get Angel to follow, he set off for the old orphanage, which was where the sound was coming from.  
  
Squall entered the flower meadow where he and Rinoa had made their promise. Seated on a broken column, facing away from him, his long sword at his feet, was Hiro. He finished singing the song Squall had been following.  
  
"Over seas From coast to coast To find a place I love the most, Where the fields are green To see you once again.My Love." Hiro held the last note and his voice trailed off. Suddenly he stiffened as he became aware of Squall's presence. He glanced over his shoulder and forced himself to relax as he realised who it was.  
  
Squall noted absently that the boy had gotten changed. He now wore a black turtleneck sweater and black trousers. Slung over the column by his side was a pale blue blazer.  
  
Squall sat on one of the other columns and gazed out over the flowers.  
  
"Nice song." he said. "It reminds me . of a promise."  
  
"I know."  
  
"How?" Squall turned to look at Hiro. The boy looked guilty as if he'd said something he shouldn't have.  
  
"We. know Ellone. She. sent us into you guys after you got back from defeating Ultimecia so she could find out what had actually happened. Flamara was so impressed that she wrote 'My Love' about the Time Compression and you and Rinoa. She wrote the verses so that people wouldn't actually realise, so you could have some privacy. I was practicing it for the Garden Festival. That's why I was sitting here. It just seemed right to rehearse here. Matt's probably asking Rinoa to let us sing her mother's song."  
  
"You didn't specify what you were singing?"  
  
"Nope. We asked Selphie to let us introduced ourselves and what we're singing. There'd be a riot otherwise." He smiled faintly as he gazed at the mountains in the distance. "I can't remember the last time I talked this much in one conversation."  
  
Squall smiled "I wouldn't have spoken about the promise with just anyone. I feel like I can trust you. My mind's not telling me to keep you at a distance."  
  
Hiro nodded. "You're probably right. Kindred Spirits. Commander, please, call me Hiro."  
  
Squall nodded. "Call me Squall, Hiro." The two locked gazes. Then they reached out to clasp hands. (A/N you know, where you grab the other persons had and tug slightly before letting go?)  
  
Selphie, Rinoa and Matt were in the Quad, trying to decorate it for the Garden Festival. Selphie was deciding with Rinoa where things should go, and Matt was putting them there.  
  
Selphie and Rinoa had been in fits of laughter when Matt had turned up after changing out of his uniform. He wore a pair of black trousers with two belts and a white shirt identical to the ones Squall wore. He wore a Gryphon shaped pendant round his neck and a short blue jacket with a Gryphon head emblazoned in red on each sleeve near the shoulder.  
  
Finally Selphie seemed halfway satisfied with the arrangements. After he'd got his breath back Matt turned. "Um . Rinoa?"  
  
Rinoa looked back, surprised "What is it?"  
  
"My family's performing in the festival tonight. My sister would like to sing 'Eyes On Me' but we wanted to ask you first as it's your mother's song."  
  
Rinoa smiled broadly. "I'd love to hear your sister sing Mom's song. Thanks for asking first."(A/N couldn't think of anything else. This is when the idea for 'Storm' started to appear.)  
  
Raine performed a mid-air backwards somersault, landed on both feet in a fighter's crouch and skidded backwards with the momentum. Suddenly she ran forward, jumped high in the air and aimed a kick at Zell's head.  
  
Zell grabbed her extended right foot in his right hand and dodged to her right and threw a left hook at her ribs.  
  
Raine dodged his punch by bending backwards to touch the floor, and his punch glanced over her tensed stomach muscles. She placed both hands on the floor and jumped. She twisted out of Zell's grasp in mid-air and slammed a kick into his back. Zell hit the ground face first and Raine landed lightly.  
  
Zell brushed himself off saying, "You fight well."  
  
"I had a good teacher." Raine said, tilting her head to one side. The sound of applause shocked them both and they looked round for the source of the sound.  
  
Zell tensed as Seifer stepped out of the shadows. "What do you want?" He said sourly.  
  
"Calm down, Chicken-wuss. I was training when I heard you two fighting and came to watch. It was pretty hard to tell you two apart until I saw that braid. Tell me," He said turning to Raine, who had changed into clothes identical to Zell's except for colour, "do you dress like that deliberately?"  
  
Zell rubbernecked between Seifer and Raine until the latter blushed and tried to avoid Seifer's gaze.  
  
"Why would anyone want to imitate you, chicken?" said Seifer teasingly.  
  
Raine said quietly, not meeting their gazes "It's a family matter. I . Please don't mention this. It's partly a disguise. You'll find out why later. . We ought to be going, it's 5 past."  
  
A/N: Please R&R. mind.is.blank.*sighs* I'll try and write the next chapter soon. 


	4. A Plan and a Trial Run

Disclaimer: FFVIII and its characters don't belong to me, Squaresoft own them. Likewise, I do not own My Love, Complicated, Sk8er Boi, Fantasy, or Thousand Miles. They are sung by Westlife, Avril Lavigne, Appleton, and Vanessa Carlton respectively, and belong to whoever wrote them. Parts of this were inspired by Mercedes Lackey's work, like use-names and Matt's appearance.  
  
Trial  
  
Squall and Hiro walked out of the elevator laughing at a joke Hiro had told. The joke hadn't been that funny, but the caustic and cynical comments that followed had been. The laughter quickly stopped when they realised that everyone in the 3F room was staring at them in shock.  
  
Squall...was...laughing. No body seemed quite sure how to deal with this amazing occurrence.  
  
"What's wrong, guys?" said Squall, pretending he hadn't guessed.  
  
"Nothing. Except the fact that you told us to be here at 11:15 and it's now half past." Seifer said scathingly.  
  
Squall blinked, and then checked his watch. Sure enough, it was 11:30. "Oh, well, why don't we get on with the meeting?"  
  
Flamara stepped forward. She had also found the time to change. She wore a pale blue dress that came down to mid-calf. Over it, she wore a short- sleeved dark blue jacket and she wore low-heeled suede boots in the same shade. The outfit made her amethyst eyes seem bluer.  
  
"Sir, I believe I have a viable plan."  
  
Squall looked at the girl in disbelief. How had she managed to come up with a plan in the half-hour, okay, three-quarter-hour break they had had? "Well, what is it?"  
  
Flamara blushed. "You see...that is...Um, you know we're performing in the Garden Festival tonight, right?" At Squall's terse nod she continued. "Well, what you didn't know is, we're really ...Final Fantasy."  
  
Gasps came from everyone except Squall, Irvine, Quistis, and Final Fantasy. Irvine and Quistis just grinned as if they'd known all along and hadn't found out just minutes before, and Squall just looked baffled.  
  
"What is Final Fantasy?" He said ignoring all the disbelieving looks directed at him by his comrades.  
  
"Squall!" Selphie sounded like she'd caught him calling Headmaster Cid something rude. "Come on! How can you not who Final Fantasy are! They're the coolest music sensation around! (Final Fantasy blushed at this.) Their first album sold out on the first day of release because of all the radio coverage. They're really mysterious, because they're based in Esthar and nobody's ever seen them live before. Everyone finds some piece of their music to like because it's so different. You've even been heard humming one of their songs!"  
  
Squall blinked. He didn't remember humming - ever. "...Whatever. What's this band got to do with the mission?"  
  
Flamara sighed. "The best place to hide in this case is in plain sight. We four are famous. Everyone will be looking at us. No one will be looking at the guy carrying my suitcase, even if he does look like the Sorceress's Knight. If Final Fantasy goes on tour, we hide you guys in our retinue. If we change your appearances a bit no one will recognize you, unless they read your mind."  
  
Raine then spoke up. "And the best bit is we can change our itinerary at a whim if we need to, since every theatre owner in the country will be fighting for us to perform at their theatres. If we head to our recording studios at Esthar, we can change your appearances their and have a believable starting point for the full tour. We can borrow a vessel from the President. If we head to Dollet first, we can avoid suspicion a little more. What do you think?"  
  
Hiro spoke softly from the place where he was propping up the wall. Everyone's attention was drawn to him despite the quietness of his voice. "Squall, Dincht, and Almasy will be the hardest to hide, because of those scars and that tattoo. With fake skin and scars to alter the appearance, we should be okay. We'll need to plan the disguises well. We may end up giving you different use-names."  
  
"What are use-names?" asked Selphie curiously.  
  
"Use-names are a name to be called by. That isn't necessarily the one you were given at birth." Explained Raine. "Some people change their use-name if they feel they have changed so much that they're not the same person any more. Like, if Squall had the use-name Iceblade. If he loosed up a bit and felt that the name Iceblade was too cold he could change it to Silverblade or something like that. We have use-names as the band. I'm Rainfox."  
  
Squall frowned. "...Whatever. If you guys are this big band, how come you've lived in Garden for the past year and a half without being recognized?"  
  
"Squall, they're as good as Selphie said they are." Zell protested  
  
Matt laughed. "Thanks, Zell. Commander, first off, we look different without the stage makeup we wear for publicity photos and videos. Secondly, the girls don't dress the same way, which helps. This is the first time since we've been here that Raine's dyed her hair, before she wore it completely white. Hiro wears coloured contacts for the band, and I wear really exotic clothing."  
  
He leaned back in his seat and looked Squall in the eyes. "We sing in the Festival tonight. If you think we're good enough to provide a cover for you guys and the mission, we spend tomorrow travelling to Esthar and planning your disguises. If not, you haven't lost anything and you guys have to come up with an alternate plan. Sir."  
  
Squall didn't miss the note in the boy's voice as he said the last word. It was an attitude he was all too familiar with, he thought, glancing at Seifer. Seifer saw his glance and smirked letting Squall know he'd heard it too.  
  
Squall pondered Matt's ultimatum carefully. Finally, he concluded that the boy was right. If they were good enough they went ahead, if not then it was back to the drawing board. Squall nodded reluctantly. It was a good plan - if it worked.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That night, Garden was in high spirits. The students had applauded every act with enthusiasm, no matter how dismal the performers.  
  
Finally, Selphie stood on the stage. "Ladies, gentlemen, SeeDs and Students of all ages. I regret to inform you that we have reached the last act of the evening. I'm gonna let them introduce themselves. Nida...Cut the lights." Balamb Garden's pilot and general handyman dropped all the lights shining on the stage.  
  
In the covering darkness, 'Silverwind' stepped up to the mike. Matt grinned. It had been too long since the last time they had sung together. He reached for the mike. "It is my fondest pleasure to introduce... (Nida brought up the lights) Final Fantasy! Hello, Balamb!" He grinned and waved as the crowd went wild. The spotlight focused on him and he knew that he nowhere near resembled the person he had been earlier apart from his hair, and even that had changed.  
  
Silverwind had feathers and beads braided into his long hair, and he wore an elaborately beaded and embroidered robe of forest-green silk.  
  
Darkstorm sighed. He much preferred being Hiro, but he had such a sweet voice that the girls' had refused to let him stay out of the band, and had nagged him into joining. Now he was stuck in this band, possibly for the rest of his life. He hated the clothes he wore, they weren't uncomfortable exactly, but they weren't his style. He wore a skin-tight blue vest/waistcoat with lace at the throat that spilled down his chest. He wore a pair of leather gloves and he wore tight trousers that moulded to his legs. He was also forced to wear eyeliner along with other bits and pieces that he didn't want to think about.  
  
Flamara and Raine were in their element. 'Rainfox' had kept the blue spiky hair, but had undone her braid and it hung about her like a silver curtain to her hips. She wore black pedal-pushers, strappy black high-heeled sandals, a white vest top with an eagles head on it in blue, and a purple shimmery blouse. She had replaced her gauntlets with black lace gloves for the evening, and she wore a silver chain round her neck with an amber pendant.  
  
'Firedream' was wearing her hair loose, and whatever she'd washed it with, it brought out the pattern in her hair, making her black hair burn. She wore a pink butterfly handkerchief top and a pair of skin-tight flared jeans with fire climbing from the hem towards her knees. She finished the outfit with gold hoop earrings, karma bracelets, and brown suede boots.  
  
Final Fantasy sung a number of their previous hits, which they dedicated, and Eyes on Me. Complicated was for Irvine, Sk8er Boi for Zell, Thousand Miles and My Love were for Squall and Rinoa. They also sang their first single Fantasy, which many people had thought was the inspiration for their name. Just as they were about to leave the stage, they were called back for an encore. They sang for another ten minutes then left the stage.  
  
By that time, Squall was regretting doubting them. He'd been bored for most of the evening and hadn't really heard any of what had been played. He'd only attended because he was Commander and people had forced him to. (Those people being Cid, Rinoa, and Quistis.) To his surprise, he had found himself tapping out the rhythm of the songs with his foot.  
  
He had been surprised by how different they looked and hoped they could do something about the three problem disguises or this plan he was now committed to work.  
  
  
  
A/N: Silverwind's clothing is supposed to be Tayleydras. Darkstorm is wearing Zidane's outfit (FFIX). Except for the gloves, I have Rainfox's outfit. I didn't intend for Matt to be rude to Squall *Matt sticks tongue out at Honor* but he has a mind of his own and went and did it anyway. He wasn't supposed to be like that, but characters never behave how you want them to. *sighs* I hope they'll be more respectful next chapter. *sighs again, more heavily* probably not. R+R okay? ^_^ 


End file.
